Walk on Chorlton Ees and Chorlton Water Park 1st February 2013

Walk on Chorlton Ees and Chorlton Water Park 1st February 2013

I had read on a birders message board that someone had seen Fieldfare and Snipe on the rough ground next to the football pitch at Chorlton Ees so we set off for a morning walk over there. We walked the short route which took us by the old sewage works which is a way we do not normally go preferring the longer walk down the side of Chorlton Brook. We were very glad we did because the first thing we came across was a small flock of half a dozen Lesser Redpolls ! These had not been our target birds but you do read that they are around the Ees and Kenworthy Woods so I suppose it should have been less surprising than it was.

We watched them for a good five minutes as they fed off the small stand of grasses by the small pond (actually large puddle) that comes and goes throughout the course of the year. The birds seemed to be quite happy with us around as we were only about forty feet from them so with bins we got very close views of their plumage and behaviour.

Eventually they flew away so we walked on and across the sodden meadow to the path from Sandy Lane. It was interesting to see the Ees from this direction as we usually have the opposite view. As we walked along the hard path we heard a noise in a tree close to us and just in time to get a quick view, a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew out of the tree and we watched its shallow undulating flight into the distance as it disappeared. As we got to Jackson’s Boat Bridge a dog walker asked us what we had seen and we got into conversation with us. She asked if we had seen any Buzzards and as we replied not I turned round and looked back towards Chorlton where – amazingly – a Buzzard hove into clear view !  We walked along the side of the Mersey to the bridge leading over to Kenworthy Woods. We walked up into the orchard but there was nothing to be seen so we returned to the Water Park and walked back via the edge of the water. On the water there was a large flock of Pochards and three pairs of Goosander. All the other usual suspects were to be found on the water. We walked back through the woods rather than taking the river bank but it was really really muddy so we cut back to the riverside as soon as possible encountering a Jay as we went.

As we walked back along the river bank we saw a Kestrel hovering int he distance and as we walked back across the Ees we saw Long-tailed Tit but the Redpolls were nowhere to be seen. Although we had missed the Fieldfare and Snipe we were still very pleased to have seen the Redpolls which we had previously only ever seen once, through a scope a very long way away.

Bird Sightings : Chorlton Ees and Water Park